Normally, I could care less about something like this, unless a Buffalo Bills player was put on the cover of the new Madden NFL video game. Everyone believes that there's some curse that goes along with being on this cover, and I don't doubt it. Though, then again, it may just be a "curse" set on the public's mind because they now will pay more attention to that player. Anyway, I care because the article about it at MJD's Shutdown Corner is hysterical.

The two who are supposedly going to share the cover of the new Madden game are (drum roll please) Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu. According to this article at Yahoo! Sports, "It would mark the first time that the two have shared a cover since they appeared together on the October 2007 cover of 'We Wear Our Hair Like Pretty Girls Monthly.'" Furthermore, "And it would all play very nicely into the hot new feature in Madden this year, 'Let's Brush Each Other's Hair Mode.'"

But enough with the hair jokes. It's sad that there really isn't much going on in the football news that I chose this story to report on. But a lot of people talk about the Madden curse, so why not. I was thinking, maybe there should be a vote for who should be on the cover of Madden. I mean, why not vote for the most popular bad guy in football? It would be one non-violent way to hope that someone goes down to the Madden curse. Why, I'll even begin and nominate Tom Brady to be on the cover of this year's Madden. Gisele can be on it too, I'm sure they could give her some fashionable Patriot's outfit. Or should could be a cheerleader in the background. Either way, it would be nice to get Brady wiped out for another entire season. But getting back to the point, I'm sure there are a lot of fans who, when they find out about their star player being on the cover of Madden, A: freak out, and B: buy the game. It would be even funnier if NFL players were the only ones allowed to vote for the person who makes the cover. Then we'd really see who hates who. The Madden player of the year could actually be Madden's bitch... (i.e. picture... sorry Pat). Maybe Madden reveals the poster child for injury and shame. Or maybe the shame is for the people who spend all their time playing the game...

So even though the Super Bowl isn't for a few weeks, I just began to think about it and who might be showing up. Now that both of the Mannings are out of the playoffs, and Brady has been a no-show for most of the season (Hallelujah, am I right?) it just might seem that none of the "big guns" or celebs of football are going to be in the spotlight. That will be even more true if the big names like McNabb, Westbrook, and Roethlisberger don't make it to Tampa.

Since last Super Bowl, Eli Manning has become as popular as his brother, which makes some people elated, and others astonished. Personally, I think that he got to where he was because of his family name, but that is another story for another day. So that's why so many are shocked and dismayed that Baby Manning will not be venturing to the Super Bowl this year, at least with his Giants.

A couple of years ago, when neither the suddenly amazing Giants, nor the monopolizing Patriots made it to the Super Bowl, there was still a football giant to take much of the spotlight: Peyton. And with good reason; Older Bro Manning helped bring his team to Super Bowl XLI and win it. But what really pissed me off, and I mean PISSED me off was that Brady somehow ended up at this game by being involved with the coin toss.

It doesn't surprise me, now or then, that the NFL loves Brady and can't get enough of him. So even though his team didn't make it to the Super Bowl, he sure did. And because of this special guest appearance, I am intrigued and apprehensive to see which NFL "star" is going to make a special guest appearance this year. Will it be Brady again? Even though he was out for most of the regular season, there's no doubt in my mind that the NFL would pull any amount of strings to get him back out onto the football field, even to the dismay of all anti-Patriots/anti-Brady football fans.

However, after the big hoopla about Eli Manning and his winning Giants, the team who beat out the Super Bowl Giants (no pun intended...maybe) the NFL might not want to give up their overly praised NFC team. That is why the person that might be at that coin toss, who won't be Brady, will be Eli Manning.

In a perfect Super Bowl world, there will be no surprise appearances by any Brady, Manning, or anyone of that stature. The only players that should show up to this game should be the players from the two teams playing in the XLIrd Super Bowl. If any players are going to help with the coin toss, or any other mundane part of the show, why not have it be some Hall-of-Famer? Someone who isn't associated with a current football team that didn't make it because they just couldn't live up to the pressure, or just weren't that good?

Oh and if the NFL has Tony Romo show up for anything, I will search out the idiot who made that decision and give them a piece of my mind!

Go Eagles!